Daily Archives: December 8, 2009
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times says the White Sox are closing in on a deal for free-agent relief pitcher J.J. Putz.
According to Cowley, Putz could be used as a set up man for Bobby Jenks, or they could move Jenks and make Putz the full time closer.
…i thought Putz would want the certainty of being a closer, of course if the White Sox could move Jenks, it becomes an ideal opportunity for Putz…
For more on the White Sox and Putz, check out the Chicago Sun Times here.
Updated at 7:55 pm:
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com believes the Giants and Rockies are showing interest in free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson, who most people feel the Mets will pursue should they be able to trade 2B Luis Castillo.
Original Post at 7:45 pm:
According to Matt Pignataro of Seven Train to Shea, a source says it’s possible the Angels could deal Gary Matthews, Jr. to the Mets in exchange for Castillo.
…the Mets continue to explore every avenue to deal Castillo…
…as i said earlier, i don’t think the Mets should be prioritizing a deal for Castillo, but it seems as though he has become a hindrance for the team to move forward…
To follow Pignataro on Twitter, click here.
Tim Kurjian said on ESPN News that the Mets, Yankees and Braves could be players for free-agent LHP Mike Gonzlaez, who had a 2.42 ERA in 80 reliefe appearances in Atlanta last season, during which left-handed batters hit .194 against him.
…the Mets will be looking for a left-handed reliever to join Pedro Feliciano, though they do have some internal options, including LHP Mike Antonini… i would be surprised to see them sign a player like gonzalez, though, who will most certainly be seeking a long-term deal… i believe the team would rather go for numbers in the bullpen, and let them compete in spring training, so not to bog down dollars and roster spots going forward…
Jerry Manuel was a guest on XM-Sirius Radio’s MLB Home Plate earlier today, and said Mike Pelfrey should be considered the team’s No. 2 starting pitcher today, adding, “He now has the experience. He made adjustments and he struggled. If he wants to be in the class of Justin Verlander, this is a big year for him.”
In regards to whether Daniel Murphy can be his team’s starting first baseman, Manuel said, “Right now, he is a part of the team, and he showed he could hit for power. It’s a matter of time before he becomes a real good player.”
Lastly, he said, he believes David Wright will to return to form, describing last season as an ‘aberration.’
Update at 6:55 pm:
Gordon Wittemyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Mariners deny talking with the Cubs about OF Milton Bradley.
Update at 6:21 pm:
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports believes the Cubs and Mariners could be talking about a deal that would send Bradley to Seattle and LHP Carlos Silva to Chicago, ‘though is nothing imminent.’
Update at 6:00 pm:
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com believes new teams are involved in talks with the Cubs, regarding Bradley.
Update at 5:57 pm:
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports got a no comment when he asked if the Blue Jays are involved in talks for Bradley.
In November, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said the Mets, Blue Jays and Cubs had been discussing a three-way deal that would have sent Luis Castillo to Chicago, Bradley to Toronto, and Lyle Overbay to the Mets.
The deal was eventually dismissed by multiple reports, which was followed by the Chicago Tribune, saying, “Toronto reportedly wants no part of Bradley.”
Original Post at 5:31 pm:
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times says the Cubs are close to sending Bradley to an American League team. However, Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors disagrees, saying, “Our source says there’s nothing new on Bradley, despite Wittenmyer’s report.”
…obviously, any news involving bradley is going to be meaningful to the Mets, because the two have been so intertwined in rumors involving 2B Luis Castillo… though, it appears the Mets can still lean on the Royals and Dodgers to help facilitate a move for luis…
This morning on XM-Sirius Radio, agent Scott Boras was a guest of Jim Bowden and Steve Davis on MLB This Morning, and said of his client, Matt Holliday:
“Where a Matt Holliday may have over the last three years, you may look at these players and their performance when Teixeira signed last year, and you can draw comparisons of Matt has a higher OPS or he has a higher on-base percentage. He has 40 more runs scored over a three year period. He has a much higher average, by 30 points, over the three years. The only advantage that Teixeira would have would be that he had 11 home runs more than Matt did over a three year period… Ytalk about the leadership… Any baseball person would want Matt Holliday on their team and then you are dealing with owners who are talking about the financial commitment required.”
…i think Boras is one of the more fascinating personalities in sports, and he isn’t even a player… he sounded so sharp during this interview, which was clearly a campaign for his clients… whether you like him or not, and whether or not the player is as good as he says he is, he draws your attention for sure…
To read the entire transcript of Boras’ appearance, Alex Speier of WEEI Sports has it here.
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets efforts to sign Randy Wolf appear ‘fruitless,’ and it seems he will sign with the Brewers for three years and roughly $9 million per season.
That said, according to David Lennon of Newsday, Omar Minaya says Wolf is still available.
…this is why i love the winter meetings… things change so quickly and you don’t know if a player is off the board until he shows up at his press conference…
Updated at 9:44 am:
…i can’t help but think this is Randy Wolf’s attempt to get a guarenteed third year, or more money, out of the Brewers, because, unless he’s had a change of heart, most people still believe he wants to sign with a team out west…
Original Post at 11:15 am:
According to the Milwuakee Journal-Sentinel, the Mets are meeting with Wolf’s agent this morning.
Ben Shpigel, in a report for the New York Times, says while the Mets feel they could do a lot worse than Luis Castillo at second base in 2010, they still are very eager to deal him.
…i personally don’t think the Mets should prioritize dealing him considering the other big needs the club has, unless of course it opens the doors for other trades…
Shpigel lists Castillo’s contract among four other players including Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Juan Pierre, and Gary Mathews, Jr., and while Castillo might present the most attractive solution among this group , Shpigel says “the Mets are trying to further change their clubhouse culture” and “recognize a need for an energy boost”.
…when the Mets collapsed down the stretch in 2007, there was some talk that Castillo might have been a bad influence on guys like Jose Reyes…there is no way to know if that’s true or not, but nevertheless, the Mets have been spending the better part of this winter AND last winter trying to deal him with no success, and it seems as though trying to deal him has become a bottleneck for the organization to move forward, which they desperately need to do…
For more on Castillo, check out Shpigel’s report here.
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Jerry Manuel talked to reporters today at the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, and said the Phillies will be the team to beat in the NL East next season, until Spring Training, “Then the Mets will take over.”
…advice: any time a reporter says, ‘Team to beat,’ respond, ‘Next question’…
Manuel also explained that, in Spring Training, the team will focus on ‘throwing strikes and catching the baseball.’
…brilliant… seriously, though, less weights, less hitting, more fundies…
Lastly, Manuel said he anticipates Daniel Murphy will be his starting first baseman next season, while noting Jose Reyes is doing well in his rehab, and is exactly where the team expects him to be.
To watch Manuel’s discussion with reporters, during which he also talks about the team hiring people who can be considered his potential successor, tune in to SNY’s Mets Hot Stove show tonight at 7 pm, during which Chris Carlin will have an exclusive one-on-one interview with Mets GM Omar Minaya, as well as live reports from Newsday’s David Lennon and SNY’s MLB Insider Jon Heyman.
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